


The Ravens of Casper High

by EchoGhost



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Befriending animals, Danny Fenton Is Weird, Gen, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, Prompt Fill, Ravens, danphanwritingprompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29770137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoGhost/pseuds/EchoGhost
Summary: The students of Casper High quietly agree that Danny is a twisted Disney princess.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 245
Collections: DanPhanWritingPrompts, ScribeSmith's Fanfic Library





	The Ravens of Casper High

**Author's Note:**

> [Prompt](https://danphanwritingprompts.tumblr.com/post/626010829054214144/the-students-of-casper-high-quietly-agree-that) from DanPhanWritingPrompts tumblr.

Danny sat on the outdoor bleachers happy that it was pleasant enough to finally do so again. Lunch was always better with fresh air and unfiltered sunlight.

He was enjoying his french fries, chatting with his friends, not a care in the world, when it hit him.

Literally.

The football that Dash and Kwan had been tossing around in the field below the bleachers had made its way to the spot right between Danny's eyes.

"Ow." Danny rubbed the sore spot as he scrunched his face up in discomfort.

"Dude, you okay?" Tucker asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." He looked down at the football in his lap, then leaned slightly to the left and saw his fries were now scattered on the sparse grass beneath the bleachers.

Surely a quick touch of intangibility would be better than the five-second rule, right?

He stood up and, badly, tossed the ball back towards his bully, "Aren't you supposed to yell 'four' when the ball becomes a dangerous projectile?"

"Danny," Sam sighed, "that's a golf term."

"Oh?"

"Yeah man, everybody knows that," Tucker added.

Danny huffed in mild annoyance but was glad no one else had heard his mistake. "Whatever. I'm gonna go finish my fries." Then he promptly dropped through the seats to the ground below.

Both Sam and Tucker shook their heads in disapproval of Danny’s choice to continue his meal. Tucker was more amused than Sam, who found it much more disgusting.

Danny didn’t really care. The lunch ladies had nailed the fries today and it would be a shame to waste them.

He had just reached for a new fry when the fluttering of feathers caused him to look up.

Standing in front of him was a large dark bird. Not large, actually it was huge. Well, huge for a living creature anyway. He didn't know birds could get that big without being a goose.

The bird cocked its head to the side curiously, clearly eyeing the food in his hands.

"You want one?" Danny asked as he held the fry towards the bird.

It hopped forward and snatched the fry with its sharp beak.

"Aw," that was pretty cute. He picked up another one ready to share.

* * *

With the improving weather, many of the teachers had started opening the windows so the fresh spring air could circulate in the room. A few claimed that it helped stimulate learning.

Wes was pretty sure it was just to air out the room from the stale winter air and post-gym class funk.

He was already settled into his seat, as was most of the class, when Danny Fenton came running in, nearly late, to class. Wes couldn't help the eye roll as the bell rang and Danny couldn't suppress his little victory fist pump.

This small victory was short-lived as Danny made it to his seat and realized he had nothing to write with. Danny slumped in his seat with a huff not even bothering to ask anyone else for a spare.

Since Danny sat in the back, and was Danny, the teacher didn't even notice that he wasn't prepared for class. She had just finished roll call when there was a tap at the window.

Predictably, everyone turned towards the sound. Sitting on the windowsill was a big pitch-black bird. Clamped between its beak was a metallic pen.

"Edgar!" Danny happily cheered before making his way over to the window. He fearlessly stuck his hand out the window toward the bird.

It, Edgar apparently, dropped the pen in Danny's waiting hand. Danny slipped the pen behind his ear and affectionately scratched underneath the bird's chin.

"You're a lifesaver buddy." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sparkly rock. "Here you go."

Edgar accepted the rock and took off to the sky.

Danny walked back to his desk as if it was perfectly normal to barter with a bird.

Everyone was either so confused, or so done with Danny's oddness, that no one said anything.

* * *

The week following the pen delivery incident, Danny ended up being spotted interacting with at least four separate black birds throughout the school’s campus.

Of course, at first, no one could be sure that it wasn't just the same bird showing up repeatedly. The only clue was that Danny addressed them with different names. Besides the names, the birds were identical. No one was sure how he was able to tell the difference.

Mr. Lancer was the first to spot all four birds and Danny together when he had supervised his, now regularly scheduled, Friday detention.

Danny was quietly working on his late work when one of the ravens had somehow made it into the building and landed on his desk. Danny idly reached up and pet the bird's head as he continued to work.

Mr. Lancer wasn't sure if he should reprimand the boy for having an animal in the classroom or just be impressed that he had been able to tame a wild predator.

That is until three more birds came in and settled in around the boy.

Mr. Lancer did his very best not to lose his temper, “Mr. Fenton.”

“Yeah?” Danny looked up patiently waiting for Lancer's question.

“Do you mind explaining what’s going on here?”

“I’m in detention?” The bird on his head easily readjusted when he tilted it in confusion, “You feeling okay?”

“Daniel,” Mr. Lancer pinched the bridge of his nose, “I know where we are.”

“Well, that’s good.” He smiled looking honestly pleased that Lancer was fully aware of his surroundings.

“I was referring to  _ the birds _ .” Lancer couldn’t believe he actually had to point that out. Then again, the boy did have a reputation for being clueless.

“Oh! The conspiracy! Why didn’t you just say so?”

“The what now?”

“Conspiracy. That’s what you call a flock of ravens." Then he looked away, "You can also call it an Unkindness, but I don't really like that one."

"That's very interesting, but that doesn't explain why they are here."

"Yeah, that  _ is _ a good question." He paused to think then suddenly popped his head under his desk causing the birds on his head and shoulder to flutter onto his desktop. "Nevermore!" The boy firmly addressed the bird at his feet and it stopped playing with his shoelaces, "You little rascal." He laughed and shook his head. "Maybe teaching you to pick locks was a bad idea."

"You did  _ what?! _ "

"Nothing!" Danny popped back up in his seat sitting up with perfect posture and laced fingers.

It would have been a picture of perfect innocence, if not for the ravens who had reclaimed their previous positions.

Lancer just sighed in resignation. He was definitely not paid enough to deal with this. “Just get back to work, Mr. Fenton. You still have 15 minutes left to serve.”

“Yes sir.” Danny resumed his work and seemed to be more focused than he had been before.

* * *

“You know Danny, if you were having trouble thinking up names you could have asked.” Sam started as she opened up the container of her pasta salad.

“What do you mean?” he looked up from his sandwich only for it to be picked at by the bird resting on his lap.

“Do I really have to spell it out?”

“Is having Edgar, Allen, and Poe too much?”

“I mean yeah, but you didn’t do that all at once so I’ll let it slide.”

“Oh thanks,” he said sarcastically before taking another bite of his sandwich.

“Dude, you know that you aren’t the only one eating that sandwich right?” Tucker said as he pulled his own lunch closer to himself.

Danny looked down to the bird in his lap, “Lenore, why didn’t you just say you were hungry? You know bread isn’t good for you.” he slipped a slice of ham out from his sandwich and tore a sizable chunk off and fed it to her.

Sam cleared her throat, “Anyway.”

“Oh right.” Danny lowered his food in thought, muttering mostly to himself as he worked it out. “So it’s not a problem with the boys. I know you like Lenore and Annabel Lee. Plus Nevermore was your idea. So what...?” then it dawned on him, “Oh! Wait you don’t like Writing Desk?”

“No!”

Lenore’s feathers ruffled and she hopped close to Danny.

“Sorry.” Sam instantly apologized knowing full well that she was very skittish.

“Why not?” Danny asked while giving soothing pets to the frightened bird, “I thought it was clever.”

“How is that clever?” Tucker asked before Sam could.

Danny rolled his eyes clearly unimpressed that his friends were missing the joke. And worse, now he had to explain it. “It’s the riddle the Mad Hatter asks Alice at the Tea Party.”

Tucker asked, “That’s an Alice in Wonderland reference?”

At the same time that Sam asked, “What riddle?”

“Yes, and it’s ‘Why is a raven like a writing desk?’” He finished his sandwich then added, “I just figured six references to one dead poet was more than enough.”

Sam raised a skeptical eyebrow, “When did you read Alice in Wonderland?”

“What? I can’t read in my spare time?” Danny countered.

Both Sam and Tucker just stared at him with unimpressed expressions.

It took two whole seconds for Danny to crack, “Alright fine! I watched the movie when it came on tv the other day and I was too lazy to change the channel.”

“That’s the Danny I know.” Sam nodded sagely.

“I was worried for a second there.” Tucker teased.

“Shut up,” Danny laughed.

* * *

Dash hadn’t bullied Fenton in over three weeks.

It wasn’t because he had been out of school and it certainly wasn’t because he had turned over a new leaf.

No. It was because he couldn’t.

Every time Dash tried, the ravens were also there. They lurked in the trees, they sat on the window sills and bleachers. They even sat on Fenton himself!

It was unnerving to see those beady black eyes staring back at him. As if they knew Dash’s intentions and were ready to peck his eyes out if he tried anything.

Of course, freaky Fenton would attract the creepiest animal possible. And worst of all, he was enjoying it!

Just the other day, Star had mentioned that if you mentally replaced the birds with kittens or something that the situation would be cute.

But that’s not what was happening.

Then Kwan said something that really drove Dash crazy.

“You know, he’s kind of like a twisted Disney princess.”

“How so?” Paulina asked as she turned in her seat to look at the loser trio.

“Well, he fits the trope. He’s an outcast, but he’s nice and not unattractive. Plus now he’s got, animal companions!”

“Not unattractive?” Paulina teasingly leaned into Kwan’s shoulder, “Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“I just mean he isn’t ugly! You’ve said yourself that he’s cute. I mean you went out with him!”

“That doesn't count! I was possessed!”

“True,” Star agreed before adding, “but you did let him take you to homecoming freshman year.”

Paulina huffed unable to deny the facts.

Dash did not like the comparison.

If Danny was the princess, who was he?

The knight or the villain?


End file.
